I have a 1993 Stratos 285 Pro XL w/ a 150 Evinrude Fastrike motor. It also has a 4-blade Renegade pro not sure what pitch. Its equipped w/ a jackplate but not sure how to determine mounting postion. Its had a recent tune-up and has been maintained well.

My GPS unit (not sure its even right) says my top speed has been about 47mph on full plane at about 5500 rpm. Speedometer on boat is incorrect do to a "stump-monster." Does this sound about right?

What other factors do I need to consider to adjust and get more speed out of my boat? I'm not looking to set speed records, but maybe faster hole shot and more top end speed.

47 MPH is about all you can expect outta your rig...+/- 2MPH. Your RPMs are on the money for top speed so the only thing you can play with would be the holeshot. Sounds like you'er doing as good as it gets right now.

Faster hole shot and more top end are nutually exclusive.
For fast hole shot you need a combination of light weight with high horsepower and low prop pitch.
For top end you need light weight with High horse power and high prop pitch.

So the differrence is prop pitch. Lower the pitch to improve hole shot or raise it to improve top end speed.

Or you can buy a bigger engine or lower your weight by leaving your lardass buddy on the dock.

I would think a 150 would push your boat beter than that i've got a 1995 merc 115 on my nitro and according to my speedo and GPS with just me i can get 45 mph and 43 with me and a buddy and gear at the same rpm as yours.

Just my 2 cents worth

Ray

If you lower your prop pitch you'll be overreving at WOT; raise it and you'll be lugging your engine.

Lot of folks have improved hole shot without affecting top end by ventilating their prop, as shown here: http://marinemechanic.com/site/page76.html

I believe you might pick up a few MPH by going to a 3 blade prop instead of a 4 blade, The 4 blade will give you a better hole shot and handling at lower speeds but the 3 blade is faster. I would think that rig should run in the mid to upper 50's at least with the 150 on it. Check where you sit on your jackplate and you might want to tinker with it a bit either up or down. Other factors might come into play but these two are a good place to start. Good luck.

Thanks for the help. I'll play with some things. I just started to wonder. I had a boat "fly" past me last weekend at Fork. I saw the boat later and it just had a 150 on it as well. It went past me like I was just sitting still and I had mine pegged out. Thanks again.

I have a 20' bay boat with a 150 Merc It is a little under 2000lbs with me, gear, and gas. It has a 3 blade prop and with GPS I hit right at 50. No jackplate.

That was probably me flying by you on Fork. haha.
47 mph is too slow for your rig. Something needs tweaking. Not the prop, the Renegade 4 blade 23P is fine and should get that boat near 60 while keeping the RPM's just under 5500 which is the limit. I run the 4 blade Renegade with a 98 Evinrude 150 on an 18' Triton and have GPS'ed 62-63 mph. I could only expect 1 or 2 mph more top end with a 3 blade prop.

Evinrude made an Intruder version of the 150 that was actually pushing 168 hp at the prop. Johnson had the Faststrike name that was basically the same motor and approx. 168 hp even though it said 150 on the cowling. I don't know for sure when they stopped that practice though. 1993 sounds like it is in the right time frame though. For an 18' foot Stratos, that should be fine. If the compression is in spec on all of your cylinders, you should be getting WOT RPM's ~5300.

Is your prop in good shape? Do you have a lot of weight in your boat? How big an ole boy are you anyhow? (Just kidding, shades of Roy D. Mercer there ). Sounds like you need to experiment raising your jackplate/motor. There are many good articles out there on how to optimize your setup. Bass and Walleye boats may have a "search" function on their website as well. Good luck and good fishin'.

Bob is right. For that boat and motor you should be running upper 50's to 60. Something needs tweaking. I had an older Ranger awhile back(335V/17 footer) with a 110 horse Johnson that would GPS 47 mph. Where are you running your trim at WOT?

Guy`s this is a big heavy boat. 93 285 you ca`nt compare it to a 18ft Triton. I think you are about maxed. Only way to gain any speed would be with motor height,less gas, and leave a bunch of gear at home. I have worked on several of these early model boats, to get in the mid to upper 50`s you need a 175 or 200. Have a friend with a 1995 285 with a 225 Evinrude runs right at 60 at this altitude will run 65 at Amistad. If it aint broke do`nt try to fix it.

Guess I just dont get it. Why is it necesary to push a bass boat so fast? I have a 20' pontoon with 50 merc and get every bit of 17 mph with a little tail wind. I dont wreck out hitting stumps, the fish are still there when i get there, and I got enough room to sack out in the shade if the sun gets too hot.

Grandpa, a few years ago I felt the same way. Didn't see what all the excitement was. However, after driving a few high performance bass boats, and then owning a couple, I realized it's just a hobby, like everything else. Motorcycles, cars, etc. It's a challenge to get everything dialed in(engine height/correct prop/trim/weight distribution etc.) to where the boat performs the way it should. The first time I experienced chine walk, it nearly scared me to death. I've finally taught myself how to correct it and drive on. I hardly notice it anymore. Oh, and did I mention it's all just plain fun!
Kenny

I'm selling a Cajun 189 right now that runs steady 55 at 55k rpm. I can squeeze 57 out of it if it is just me in the boat. Has a Yamaha 150 ProV

CHeck where you have the motor trimmed? I know that's a heavy boat, but you should be getting more out of that 150.